Diapers have been used to contain the waste of infants, toddlers, and in some cases, other individuals who do not have control of their bladders and bowel movements. Diapers can be made of a reusable fiber, such as cotton, and/or they can be made of disposable materials, such as a plastic and cotton combination.
In some designs, reusable diapers have been made of a single piece of cotton fabric and were fastened around a wearer's waist and legs. Safety pins have been used to fasten the ends of the single piece of cotton fabric together.
It can be difficult for single piece cotton fabric reusable diapers to achieve a proper fit on a wearer's leg due to many factors, such as the size of the diaper, size of the wearer, shape or the diaper, shape of the wearer, the number of fastening mechanisms used, and other factors. If the diaper is pulled too tight it can be uncomfortable for the wearer and if the diaper is too loose leakage can occur around the legs of the wearer.
Disposable diapers can be made of a combination of plastics and soft fiber materials, such as cotton. The plastic can, for example, provide waterproof characteristics to prevent leakage through the soft fiber material portion. The soft fiber material portion can provide absorption for the waste of the wearer.
Disposable diapers have been readily available in most developed countries and can be desirable because the diaper can be disposed of in the trash without having to handle or dispose of the waste in the diaper separately. However, disposable diapers can be undesirable, for example, because the chemicals used to make the diapers can be harmful to the wearers. Also, disposable diapers can create strain on the environment because a diaper is disposed of in the trash each time a wearer creates waste while wearing a disposable diaper and these types of diapers are not typically readily degradable.
In contrast, reusable diapers can be desirable because of the reduced harmful environmental impact over disposable diapers, the ability to choose chemical-free materials, and the reduced overall cost due the fixed cost of buying fewer diapers and reusing them.